Total Eclipse of the Heart
by TheDVirus
Summary: When a villainous songstress begins hypnotising people, including the other Guardians, with her bewitching music, Tooth is forced to turn to Pitch for help. And to confront some of her own feelings along the way. A loose sequel to 'A Halloween Fairy Tale'. Contains hints of 'Cavity' pairing.
1. Prologue

The trouble started with a song.  
>The type of song nobody can get out of their head once it crawls through the ear and wraps itself around their brain stem.<br>Nobody could even figure out where it had come from at first: it was as if it had appeared overnight.  
>It was eventually tracked down to Burgess' local radio station where the bewildered DJ who first played it claimed to have never even heard the song before.<br>According to him, it must have been slipped into his vast music collection without his knowledge and was played by accident instead of the latest number one single by yet another vacuous boy band.  
>But who was he to argue when the board began lighting up with listeners raving about it?<br>It didn't seem to matter what age or gender people were.  
>The song, titled simply 'From the Heart' reached number one nationwide in three short weeks.<br>It was played in restaurants, shopping malls and on the radio countless times.  
>It was even played during long road trips to placate children, for once not drawing complaints about repetitiveness from the drivers.<br>Wherever it was played, the song struck the right chord.  
>Everyone was so busy enjoying it however that nobody seemed to question the discrepancies from one listener to the next.<br>Or why nobody seemed to be getting tired of it.  
>To an elderly woman, the song sounded like one of the jazz tunes she used to dance to with her husband long ago.<br>To an expectant mother, it was a soft lullaby that warmed her heart.  
>To a young child, it was something that sounded sweet and they longed to hear it more than the tune of a passing ice cream truck.<br>There were no swear words in the song. No sexual innuendos or irritating pulsing beats.  
>Just an air of nostalgia and the promise of adventure. The message that you could be whatever you wanted to be and there would always be someone who would accept you.<br>It was a song people could believe in.  
>A song they desperately wanted to believe in.<br>Eventually public demand for the singer to step forward yielded results and she appeared in her first press conference to a barrage of flashing camera lenses and a jungle of microphones.  
>Her stage name was Candy Heart.<br>Petite, blonde haired and always smiling, to her young fans, she was like a princess from a child's storybook. To her adult fans, she seemed down to earth, humble and friendly.  
>She spoke for a little about her music and how grateful she was to everyone for listening. About how she had been writing songs for years and had sent the demo CD into the radio station ages ago and had heard nothing back.<br>She then treated the crowd to a live performance of 'From the Heart' that ended to rapturous applause from those present and unprecedented TV ratings for the channels covering the conference.  
>There was no question.<br>Everyone loved her.  
>And that was what made her dangerous.<p> 


	2. Chapter 1

In the balmy realm of the Tooth Palace, Tooth was supervising the evening rush as usual from a perch high above the golden towers.  
>She had no real need to do so: her fairies knew what they were doing but ever since Pitch's invasion, she had resolved to be more hands on with things.<br>She had even had this perch set up because it offered an excellent view of each and every continent tower. So it was an unpleasant surprise to her when she noticed a build-up of traffic starting in the North America division.  
>She flew down to the relevant level and found her fairies warily eyeing the drawers containing the tooth boxes.<br>'What's wrong?' she asked her workforce, each laden with a tooth destined to join its fellows waiting inside one of the multiple compartments.  
>As she examined the compartments, she noticed what had made her fairies so nervous.<br>A barely visible layer of twinkling particles was covering the drawers.  
>Reaching out to touch it, Tooth cried out in pain as she felt an electric shock.<br>She tried again and suffered the same result.  
>She couldn't touch the teeth!<br>'This isn't possible', she gasped, staring disbelievingly at her rapidly healing scorched fingers.  
>She looked around at the other towers only to have her fears confirmed.<br>Her mini fairies were squeaking in pain as they threw themselves desperately at the barrier only to suffer singed feathers and bent noses. In the distance, she could see the clouds of incoming fairies that had been dispatched on their usual nocturnal tooth gathering missions getting closer as well as the terrified fairies from the other towers approaching her for answers.  
>'Stop!' she yelled imperiously and there was a sudden vacuum of sound as every mini fairy halted their attempts and frantic squeaking.<br>Tooth took a deep breath.  
>She couldn't afford a panic despite the rate her heart was beating.<br>In her head, the fear of the teeth piling up and the memories within fading away threatened to dominate her business like mind.  
>The thought of all the little voices within silenced forever was almost too much to bear!<br>She couldn't let that happen.  
>It was her duty to not let that happen.<br>And she wasn't about to let her panic get the better of her and consume bodies too small to handle the enormous implications.  
>She flew up high, conscious of the thousands of anxious little faces looking up at her.<br>It was a good thing the ever prepared Tooth had placed numerous safeguards in place in case Pitch ever decided to have another crack at world domination.

'Okay girls. Don't panic. We trained for this remember? Begin Operation Pearly Whites! Go go go!'

The mini fairies hastened to obey, panic fading as they utterly focused on their assigned jobs.  
>Some grabbed red flags from compartments beneath the teeth and began guiding any more incoming fairies laden with new teeth away from the barrier. Others flew to meet the newcomers, making notes on miniscule note pads and setting up new piles of teeth on the tower floors according to Tooth's stringent filing system.<br>Tooth lowered her hovering height and beckoned over her senior fore-fairy. The fairy saluted, its eyebrow set determinedly beneath its golden crest feather.

'Baby Tooth, you're in charge. I'm going to get some backup'.

She flew to a compartment high above the tooth catalogue and retrieved a snowglobe from a hidden drawer.  
>Even though she knew she could hit speeds of up to Mach Two (if she concentrated, had a favourable wind and didn't eat anything beforehand) North had given her a globe in case of emergencies.<br>As she threw it and watched the portal to the North Pole take shape, her mind raced with possibilities.  
>It had to be Pitch again!<br>She had stepped up security since he had invaded her realm but maybe there was a weak point somewhere. The devil had always had a talent for exploiting any cracks he could find room to wriggle through!  
>She knew she would've sensed his presence if he had come in person but maybe he had discovered another way to get in. Or more likely, sent one of his Nightmares to do the dirty work.<br>As the portal solidified, she tightened her fists, anger causing her feathers to stick up spikily.  
>She'd punched out a tooth for what he did to her fairies. This time, she'd make sure he ate soup the rest of his life.<p>

She sensed something was wrong as soon as she entered the warmth of North's workshop.  
>The conveyor belts and production lines were unused. An eerie quiet pervaded the large space and there was no sign of the usual welcoming fire in the fireplace.<br>The Christmas toys that habitually swooped and danced in the workshop lay on the floor, covered in a thin layer of dust.  
>The yeti workforce, unfamiliar with standing idle shuffled from one foot to another and grumbled to each other in their animal like language. The elves were coping much better: they either napped or played with the unfinished toys, adding their own 'unique' modifications.<br>As Tooth swerved to avoid a yelping elf with its hat on fire, she spotted North on the ground floor, surrounded by numerous boxes of many different sizes.

'North, we have a problem', she said as she flew down to him.

'I know', North grumbled, 'Just cannot get this carriage to work correctly'.

'Kid's presents really are getting bigger', Tooth thought, eyes wide at the glittering carriage North was making adjustments to.

'Also, do you know where I could find six white horses this time of day?' North asked with no hint of humour.

'We have bigger problems than that North. Have you noticed anything odd?'

'No, just a big order to fill'.

'Yes I know Christmas is important but I really think-'

'Is not for Christmas. Is for something far sooner'.

Tooth lost patience. This was no time for North's jokes or pet projects!

'North, my palace is under attack! Some kind of barrier is stopping me from accessing the teeth! They're piling up and if we don't do something, their magic is going to fade away!'

'I know!' North cried, slamming a fist into the palm of his other hand.

'You do?' Tooth asked.

'I will simply make clockwork horses!' he said, smiling at Tooth, 'Save money on feed and stables eh?'

Tooth's jaw dropped as North went to a pile of pieces waiting to be placed onto the carriage. She looked at one of the yetis carving intricate swirling designs into the carriage. He lowered his gaze and kept working. The yeti beside him suddenly became very interested in the bristles of his paint brush.

'North?' Tooth flew in front of him, blocking his path, 'Didn't you hear me?!'

'I am sorry Tooth but as you can see I have my hands full right now', North said, moving around her to fix a large wooden wheel to the carriage, 'No time for chat chitting'.

Was North trying to get rid of her?  
>The same jolly man who always had time for a friendly chat and eggnog, even on Christmas Eve? The manager who insisted on personally checking every one of the hundreds of toylines being made for the slightest flaws?<br>She examined the symbol one of the yetis was painting on the carriage.  
>A pink heart flanked with two white wings and an arrow protruded through its centre.<br>Well that ruled Pitch out.  
>The boogeyman was nothing if not a traditionalist and would never have been associated with such a symbol: not even for the purposes of sarcasm or irony.<br>As she hovered, unsure of her next move and bewildered by North's ignorance of her plight, she noticed the music.  
>Instead of the usual ballet suites or orchestral pieces, a new record was playing nearby on North's antique yet well used phonograph. It was a big band number with a powerful female voice singing easily over the heavy brass sounds. Tooth had to stop herself tapping her foot along.<p>

'What's that music? I didn't know you listened to modern stuff'.

North finally granted her eye contact.

'Thought it was time for a change. Is called 'From the Heart'. You should give it a listen. And I am so sorry but it is time for you to go. Forgive me for not showing you out Tooth'.

That settled it. North was kicking her out.  
>The yetis looked at Tooth, utterly befuddled and mortified by their master's strange behaviour. Even the elves were standing quietly, sensing the unpleasant atmosphere.<p>

'No, it's fine', Tooth said, smiling in an attempt to alleviate the tense mood and absolve the yetis and elves of any misplaced guilt, 'Got my own work to take care of anyway. Busy busy busy'.

She beckoned one yeti over.

'Do you mind if Phil shows me out?' she asked North.

The response was an impatient wave of a large hand as North resumed his work.

'Let me know the minute anything changes', Tooth instructed the yeti in a low voice as he escorted her to the balcony, 'I'm going to find out what's going on'.

Phil gave a sad grunt. Tooth smiled comfortingly.

'It's okay Phil. You just take care of him. I'll take care of the rest'.

Phil quietly handed Tooth a label from one of the crates along with a snowglobe, as if fearful he would be seen doing so.  
>She examined the label.<br>Candy Heart, the intended recipient, lived in Burgess.  
>'Who's Candy Heart?' Tooth asked the yeti.<br>The yeti picked up a nearby toy microphone and pretended to sing into it, giving an impromptu wobbly dance.  
>It would've been comical if not for Phil's intense stare when he finished his routine.<p>

'A singer?' Tooth guessed.

Phil nodded and held up one finger.

'A number one singer?'

Phil grunted happily and clapped.

'Okay, thanks Phil', Tooth said, throwing the snowglobe as she visualized Burgess in her head.  
>Once she was sure she could see Main Street through the cloudy swirling colours, she gave Phil's arm a final reassuring pat and leapt into the portal. <p>

If Candy Heart was a singer and based in Burgess, there was only one person to ask.  
>Jack Frost would know about Candy Heart.<br>Despite being hundreds of years old, Jack had always retained a child-like interest in trends.  
>In the years he had been invisible, he had found them a welcome distraction as well as a way of subliminally reaching out to kids.<br>Skateboards, pogs, trading cards, the latest monster collecting craze from Japan: Jack knew about and dabbled in them all.  
>He also always knew about who was number one in the charts and from the looks of the posters Tooth could see stuck up on each alternating lamppost, there was no doubt who that was.<br>Tooth alighted on Burgess' main street and examined a larger poster hanging in a music shop window.  
>It was advertising an upcoming concert for one night only.<br>Candy Heart was the central figure, beaming on an artist's representation of a well-lit, colourful stage.  
>She was a pretty young woman with long, natural looking blonde hair, vivid green eyes and a set of perfect, straight teeth. White wings were stuck to her back, she wore a voluminous pale pink dress and a golden tiara was perched on top of her head.<br>She was also strangely familiar to Tooth.  
>This bothered her: how could the Guardian of Memories not recall how she knew someone?<br>The carriage behind Candy on the poster was much easier to place and all the boxes at North's workshop suddenly made sense.  
>The more Tooth learned about Candy Heart, the more this 'everygirl' (as the poster called her) unnerved her.<br>Taking flight again, she hopped the nearby wall into Burgess park and headed for Jack's cabin. 

Jack was sitting on the windowsill and waved when he saw her approach. A CD player was sitting beside him, playing a gentle tune.

'Hey Tooth', he smiled, 'How's it going? Like the music?'

Tooth scaled the ladder leading to the cabin and sat on one of the donated beanbags inside. Jack had made it quite homely for himself since the kids had banded together to build it for their the adults of the neighbourhood it was their clubhouse. For Jack and the kids, it was his new home.  
>Beanbags rested on the floor and a small bookshelf held well-thumbed paperbacks. To Tooth's discomfort, Jack's usual posters of popular music bands and sports stars appeared to have become eclipsed by numerous Candy Heart posters and magazine clippings. More magazines featuring the singer were stockpiled in a corner.<p>

''Where did you get a stereo?' Tooth asked.

Jack stepped into the cabin, setting the stereo down inside.

'Jamie let me borrow it. Candy Heart's all the rage now. Check out the magazines'.

Tooth picked up a couple from the top of the pile and speed read the relevant articles. There was a lot of text and attractive pictures of the singer but they still somehow managed to tell her nothing about the subject of the piece.  
>The little information included was patchy and the song on the stereo was giving her a headache.<br>It was a very different song from the one she had heard at North's workshop but it was definitely the same singer.  
>This one relied on a central guitar melody and seemed to have been based on old American ballads. It wasn't unpleasant to listen to but Jack had the short song on repeat.<p>

'Who exactly is Candy Heart?'

'You don't know about Candy Heart?!' Jack asked incredulously.

'She's a singer obviously', Tooth replied, waving a hand at the posters on the wall.

'She's only been number one for the last four weeks!' Jack said happily, 'She's the best singer around. Not to mention the prettiest'.

Tooth's eyes narrowed.  
>It wasn't like Jack to gush.<p>

'What's this song called?' she asked, indicating the stereo.

'She's only released one song. That's 'From the Heart''.

Alarm bells started clanging in Tooth's head.

'But it doesn't sound like that', she said, 'North was playing it in his workshop'.

'North's probably playing it on that old phonograph', Jack said dismissively, 'Doesn't do it justice. Though Candy's gonna be releasing new material at Friday night's concert here in town. Just announced it today'.

'Who is she Jack?' Tooth said, uneasy about Jack's seemingly innocent enthusiasm.

'What do you mean?' he asked, flopping down onto another beanbag.

'I mean did you know her when she was little?'

'How would I know that?' he shrugged.

'Because in these articles it says she's from Burgess Jack', Tooth explained, pointing to the sentence, 'You know pretty much every kid and former kid in this town. She can't be more than seventeen. What street did she live on? Who was she friends with?'

'Can't remember every kid I ever saw Tooth', Jack said, crossing his arms.

'Defensive', Tooth noted mentally as Jack's eyes looked away.  
>She had to push him further.<p>

'I think it's because she's not human at all Jack. Don't you think it's weird that everybody and I mean everybody seems to love this song? Nobody's asking for anything new from her?'

'Well that's just the way music works nowadays Tooth', Jack protested, 'You ever heard 'Defying Gravity' or 'Let It Go'? It's practically the same song but people love them'.

'Okay then: how about each review in these magazines saying something different about what kind of song it is? This one says it's hiphop but this one says it's a 'heavy, mostly instrumental' piece! And the one you're playing sounds country and western!'

'I…think…' Jack said hesitantly, shaking his head uncomfortably.  
>His natural curiosity was being visibly overpowered by something else.<br>Tooth didn't know what it was but knew it had to be gotten rid of.

'Nearly there', Tooth thought, 'He's starting to doubt. Go in for the finish!'

'What's her real name?' she pressed, 'These all say 'Candy Heart' is a stage name. Does anybody know anything about this girl at all?'

'So what?!' Jack suddenly snapped, snatching the magazine out of Tooth's hand, 'I still don't know Lady Gaga's real name! It's not about the singer Tooth! It's about people being happy! What's your problem?!'

'No problem. Just curious that's all,' Tooth said diplomatically, alarmed at Jack's sudden aggressive behaviour.  
>She had pushed too far.<br>Whatever had gotten into Jack wasn't going to be dislodged this way.

'Oh. Okay then!' Jack said, suddenly all smiles again, 'Look I gotta go. Jamie and the guys are queueing up to get tickets for the concert and I said I'd meet them there'.

'Sure. Do you mind if I read a few more of these?'

'No problem. See ya!'

Jack leapt out the cabin door and was gone.  
>Alone with her troubled thoughts, Tooth systematically read every magazine.<br>As she finished the final article as the sun set, she noticed there was something else odd about every article.  
>Not once was the name of the song mentioned.<br>Tooth reasoned it was because Candy Heart had only released one song but the more she read the more suspicious it seemed. When she compared the three pages long interview with Candy with the other (much shorter) interviews with other artists in the same magazine, there was a key piece of information missing. Under each one of the shorter interviews was the album or single name along with the release date or an 'OUT NOW!'  
>Closing the glossy magazine, she turned her attention to the stereo. Ejecting the CD, she put it in backwards. She wasn't sure if it would work the same as records and their infamous hidden messages.<br>Surprisingly there was no sound at all when she pressed play, not even disapproving static to indicate the CD was being played incorrectly.  
>Eyes narrowing, he returned the CD to its proper position and pressed play.<br>This time she listened properly to the song rather than tolerating it as ambient noise.  
>A supernatural lifetime of listening for waking children and alert parents had honed Tooth's hearing to such a point that if someone dropped a pin while she was actively listening, it would set her ears ringing.<br>Meditation with Sandy had helped her learn how to filter out any other distractions while listening to one particular sound and she made use of it now, shutting out nearby park goer voices and the car horns from the road beyond its walls.  
>She couldn't deny it was a nice song.<br>But it wasn't country or hip hop.  
>And just as with North, it sounded totally different from the one Jack had been playing despite the fact that there was only one track on the CD.<br>It was an Indian inspired melody with a quiet sitar playing beneath the sweet voice of Candy Heart.  
>Tooth liked how it sounded, the tune bringing to mind her childhood from long ago but was objective enough to realise the sitar was definitely an acquired taste.<br>It was rarely found in number one chart toppers.  
>As the song ended, Tooth realised she couldn't recall a single lyric.<br>That clinched it.  
>She was the Guardian of Memories.<br>If she couldn't remember a single memorable lyric, there was no way the average human listener would.  
>It wasn't a song. It was a spell.<br>Jabbing the stop button, Tooth realised how late it was.  
>Prime opportunity for another test.<br>She poked her head out of the cabin's entrance and scanned the star filled sky above.  
>The park clock struck the time: nine o'clock.<br>Tooth knew Sandy's schedule off by heart and had often encountered the Sandman while completing her own duties.  
>But tonight, there was a lack of golden grains amongst the stars.<br>Sandy was out of commission too.  
>This was bad.<br>North halting production of Christmas toys. Jack Frost not knowing a local kid's name. Sandy shirking his duty.  
>The silver lining was they weren't being weakened by the song: people still believed in the Guardians. If they didn't, Tooth wouldn't have been able to glide down from Jack's treehouse.<br>Tooth considered her limited options.  
>As Guardian of Memories, she was impervious to mind control: nobody could alter something she had complete mastery over but she was unsure of her mini fairies. She didn't like the idea of having thousands of little swarming creatures attacking her once the being calling itself Candy Heart knew she was investigating.<br>She hadn't a clue how to contact Bunnymund but had an increasingly nasty feeling he would also be otherwise engaged. Those large, sensitive ears wouldn't stand a chance.  
>If the Guardians were out of commission that only left one, distinctly unreliable source of backup and Tooth didn't like it one bit.<br>Still, what was that old adage?

'Better the devil you know, than the devil you don't'?


	3. Chapter 2

Tooth knew the Burgess entrance to Pitch's air had been reopened following a discussion between him and Jack and was glad of the winter spirit's diplomatic efforts when she parted a series of fir trees.  
>There was the old broken bed over the dank pit that led to the sunless vaults Pitch called home.<br>Hovering over the rotten timbers, she flew up and dropped, landing heavily on them.  
>They cracked and disappeared into the darkness.<br>As she hesitated on the precipice, she fancied she could hear barely audible noises echoing up towards her. Voices, animal noises and distant laughter.  
>She shook her head fiercely to rid it of the auditory illusions (a favoured trick of Pitch's) and closing her wings, dropped into the unknown.<br>Using her wings to slow her speed, she eventually landed on smooth stone.  
>Walking down the short tunnel, the path opened into a vast circular space.<br>She shuddered at the atmosphere as well as the cruel looking cages that hung from the ceiling.  
>She knew what they had been used to contain before he had used them as prisons for her fairies.<br>Even though she couldn't see him, she knew Pitch was here.  
>This place was as much a part of him as his minions, the Nightmares.<br>His memories bled from every stone: bitter and cold, they rankled at her unwanted presence. She had no authority here.  
>Then, in a large, soft looking black velvet throne, she saw two pinpricks of light.<br>As she approached, trying to appear casual, they narrowed.

'You rather stick out down here don't you?' came Pitch's smooth voice.

'Hello Pitch', she said evenly.

'Spare me the pleasantries Toothiana', the irritated voice said, 'The only time you Guardians ever visit is when you want something'.

There was no longer any point in small talk.  
>Tooth unrolled the poster she had taken from one of the park lampposts and held it up to a thin beam of light coming from somewhere high above.<p>

'What do you know about Candy Heart?'

Pitch leant out of the shadows for a better look.  
>He smiled unpleasantly and was swallowed once more.<p>

'Only that she has a penchant for obvious aliases', he said, eyes continuing to gleam with amusement, 'I'm surprised you don't recognise her on that alone'.

'You know who she is?' Tooth asked, cautiously optimistic but aware of the boogeyman's penchant for mind games.

'We've never met in person but the sickly pink, hearts and angel wings do rather give it away'.

Tooth looked at the poster again, identifying the objects Pitch described.  
>It was if a veil had been lifted from Tooth's eyes and everything became clear.<br>How could she not have seen it?!  
>Maybe it was the alienating aura of the lair or Pitch's own dark influences but suddenly there it was, clear as day.<br>Then again a glamour wasn't exactly mind control: more a trick of the senses.  
>By choosing to appear as a human version of herself, Cupid had ironically hidden her true identity perfectly.<br>It was even worse than Tooth thought: if Cupid could be seen then that meant she had believers. Which meant she currently had an endless power supply at her command.

'How did you know?' she asked.

'I don't care what people look like Toothiana', Pitch's silhouette said, shrugging, 'I always know who they really are, unfortunately for them'.

'But why?' Tooth cried, looking disbelievingly at the poster, 'How could she do this?! Does she know what she's doing?!'

'My guesses are A) because she's bored, B) with mind control and C) she obviously does if she's managed to brainwash so many people', Pitch stated, ticking the reasons off his fingers.

He stood up from his throne and cracked his knuckles luxuriously. Tooth flinched at the noise and tried to calm herself.  
>Now he was fully visible, she had forgotten how much taller Pitch was when compared to her own petite frame.<p>

'Instead of asking pointless rhetorical questions, why don't you go ask her?' he asked.

'I will but I need your help', Tooth said, 'You're the only other one of us who hasn't heard her song'.

Pitch stopped stretching and raised an eyebrow.

'Doesn't automatically mean I'm going to help you. Why should I?'

'She's taking control of everyone!' Tooth cried, 'She even got North, Jack and Sandy!'  
>She hadn't expected much from the boogeyman but even he knew what was at stake!<br>He had to!  
>Pitch however, seemed totally unconcerned.<p>

'Still, she shouldn't be an issue for you surely?' Pitch said, 'An all-powerful Guardian? Much as I relish the idea of you suffering the slings and arrows of defeat, in your food chain, she's the equivalent of plankton'.

'It's not her I'm worried about', Tooth explained, angrily crumpling up the poster, 'It's the people she'll use as a shield. I know you can incapacitate them without hurting them'.

'Is this because I decided to help Frost at Halloween?' Pitch snapped, 'Honestly, you can't just come knocking at my door every time you find yourselves in over your heads! What's next? Murderous drunken leprechauns on St Patrick's Day?'

Tooth followed the shade as he began to walk down a twisting flight of stairs. She took to hovering when a step gave way unexpectedly and was swallowed into the bottomless pit below.

'Fine', she said, 'Look at it this way. Isn't it a little hard to scare someone under hypnosis?'

She nearly collided with Pitch's back as the implications swam through his brain.

'I hate it when you're right', he groused, 'But what's to keep me from suffering the same fate if I do hear her little ditty?'

'You and she both feed off equally strong and opposing emotions. Love can overpower many emotions but not fear. It's too important to the human mind'.

The staircase led to the platform where Pitch's globe stood, black and twisted but oddly beautiful with the numerous golden lights adorning it.

'But if what you say is true', Pitch surmised, 'then fear can't overpower love'.

'No. But it can weaken it', Tooth said, 'You can make the victims doubt if their feelings for Candy are real'.

'How sadistic of you', Pitch snickered, amused by Tooth's nonchalant analysis of human frailty. 'I always assumed you'd go in for the 'true love conquers all' nonsense'.

'True love does. Not obsessive adoration', Tooth said defiantly.

As Pitch didn't respond, she was forced to look away from his searching, yellow gaze. Even from a few feet away, it was like looking into the eyes of a predatory cat: primal intensity radiating from the dark pupils.

'What are you looking at?' she asked stiffly.  
>She suppressed a shiver as Pitch instantaneously closed the distance between them. His cool fingers turned her resisting chin to face him. His grey skin was illuminated by the glow from the globe making him look almost human. It disturbed Tooth.<p>

'You're not just a pretty face are you?' he asked, pointed teeth gleaming beneath his thin lips.

'I'm a lot of things', Tooth said, removing Pitch's hand, 'Which is exactly what Candy's going to find out'.  
>'How ironic', Pitch commented, granting Tooth some much desired personal space, 'usually it's Candy that knocks teeth out, not vice versa. She's really ticked you off hasn't she?'<p>

'Her job is to make people realise they're in love and make that feeling grow. Not to control how they feel for her own selfishness or plant false feelings where they're not wanted'.  
>She bristled at Pitch's sarcastic slow clapping.<p>

'Bravo! Toothiana the champion of free will!' he said before darkly adding, 'Except where I'm concerned it seems'.

Despite her dislike of the boogeyman, Tooth felt the old pang of guilt resurface.  
>She and Manny had stopped restricting Pitch's powers in recognition of what Jack had told her the boogeyman had done at Halloween. But she knew it would be a sore spot for both her and Pitch for a long time to follow.<p>

'I'm sorry about that but I was-'

'Just following orders?' Pitch interjected, 'Never heard that before'.

'Pitch, please', Tooth said, covering her face as she tried to push the unpleasant implications of the phrase from her mind.

'Please what?'

'Please help me', Tooth asked plainly, tired of mind games and banter, 'You want me to say I'm frightened. Fine. I'm frightened. You want me to say I need you. Fine. Pitch. I need you! Now are you going to help me or not?!'  
>She was so prepared to hear a mocking or negative response that Pitch caught her completely off guard with the one he gave.<p>

'Alright then'.

'Just like that?' Tooth asked, her feathers unintentionally sticking up in shock.

'Are you complaining?' Pitch responded, idly examining his uneven nails, 'You're hardly the negotiator Frost was but I can't deny you must be desperate'.

'I'm just surprised you offered to help for nothing'.

'I never said that', Pitch smirked.  
>Tooth fought the urge to roll her eyes. He almost had her.<br>As if the boogeyman would ever do anything selfless!

'I just haven't made up my mind yet what to ask for', he elaborated,' Now I know how children feel writing to North. That said, I'm more than happy to work for the promise of payment later'.

He extended a long fingered hand.

'Do we have a deal?'

'Deal', Tooth said, uncomfortably aware that Pitch's hand felt warmer than it had been and that her admittance of fear likely had something to do with it.


	4. Chapter 3

Tooth raced back up the tunnel.  
>She was keen to be out in the open air, free of the grasping underground roots and creeping shadows of Pitch's lair. She hated the dark tunnels and dank soil.<br>She hated the idea of being in Pitch's debt more.  
>There had been no other option to secure his help but her stomach turned when she thought about what he may ask for.<br>Would it be the screams of a hundred children or something spitefully petty like a back massage?  
>Tooth hoped she hadn't made things worse.<br>It was not the actual request that worried her: it was Pitch's mercurial nature.  
>He was unpredictable and calculating, like a riled serpent.<br>His eyes told her all she needed to know. Yellow and cold, they pierced the heart of anyone who looked into them.  
>Tooth shivered just thinking about how close he had been to her and the surprisingly smooth touch of his hand. She had been startled to realise he smelt of jasmine. Probably an unpleasant sensory trick on his part to confuse her. She loved the smell of jasmine.<br>She smoothed her feathers down in an attempt to appear unflustered for her return home.  
>As long as she remembered who she was dealing with and didn't let her guard down she was confident the operation would go smoothly. If Pitch wanted to cash in the reward, he had to fulfil his part of the bargain first.<br>Then again maybe she was overreacting.  
>Hadn't Jack's travails with him at Halloween proven that there was more to the boogeyman? Apparently Pitch had pushed Cupcake out of the way of an attack by a creature called the Nightmare Man, suffering the blow himself and had departed Burgess peacefully the next morning without any fuss. He had even returned his teeth: willingly giving up what he had bargained for even though all the Guardians had agreed it had been fairly earned.<br>Who knows? Maybe he would surprise her as well.  
>Hadn't she (to her shame) once doubted Jack the same way? She had mistakenly believed he had traded Baby Tooth to Pitch for his memories at Easter.<br>That was another thing.  
>When Pitch had taken her fairies, not a single one had been harmed when they were contained and when they had brought the stolen teeth back to the palace, every tooth was still in its assigned place within their boxes. Pitch could've been cruel or destructive but hadn't been.<br>Maybe she was reading too much into things. Pitch had probably kept the fairies around to 'witness his triumph' or something melodramatic like that.  
>Still…<br>As she took to the air, luxuriating in the warm thermals beneath her wings she made a decision.  
>Everyone, even Pitch, deserved a second chance.<br>His trial period would begin tomorrow night at the record store in Burgess Mall where Candy Heart was going to be signing copies of her CD for her adoring fans.

As Pitch watched Tooth fly back up the tunnel to give her fairies a status report, he finally released the laughter he had painstakingly been holding in.  
>It was hilarious!<br>Who knew the male Guardians were so gullible?!  
>A few pretty words in their ears and they forgot all about their highly vaunted ideals of protecting the world! It was such a disgustingly mortal weakness.<br>And now Tooth was reduced to practically begging for his help.  
>He threw himself back down into his throne.<br>It was just too delicious: he almost felt sorry for her.  
>As his cackling segued to a more restrained smirk, he drummed his fingers on the arm of the chair.<br>What would he ask for?  
>An all access pass to North's workshop?<br>Being allowed to scratch the rabbit's ear just to see him squirm?  
>A visit to the Tooth Palace?<br>He shook his head at that last thought.  
>Where had that come from?<br>The towers were fascinating yes but it was so bright and open. Too exposed to facilitate lurking or jumping out at the locals. As well as the temperature being too humid and sticky for his liking.  
>In the end, what was the point?<br>He'd seen it once and didn't much care for the thought of thousands of beady, resentful eyes watching his every move.  
>Then again the thought of the look on Tooth's face as she would be forced to treat him as a guest in her home was tempting.<br>The way her violet eyes shone when she was angry was quite enchanting.  
>He lay on his back, folding his arms beneath his head.<br>He imagined her flying home like a frightened bird, sunlight catching on her gossamer wings.  
>Upon reflection, maybe she wasn't the worst Guardian to work with.<br>She was feisty and her feathers had taken on such interesting colours against the shadows of the lair. Pitch liked to think of himself as an artist. He had a certain appreciation for beauty.  
>He shook his head suddenly.<br>What was he thinking?!  
>It was her fault he still wasn't up to his full strength! Halloween had been a pleasant diversion but it would take years for his power levels to be restored to what they had been before she and the Man in the Moon had started their annual collections. Taking little pieces of his power like magpies eating crumbs!<br>Just like that, the usual bitter feeling eclipsed the worrying creeping warmth he had been starting to feel. It had been disturbingly familiar and wholly unwelcome.  
>Helping Tooth was a diverting distraction to tedium, nothing more. He certainly wasn't doing it out of the goodness of his non-existent heart!<br>If Tooth wanted him to help, he would make sure she paid a heavy price for his services.  
>Looking at a seemingly broken clock hanging in midair to his left, Pitch made a mental note of the time he was due to meet Tooth tomorrow to form a plan of attack.<br>'It's a date', he growled, deciding that, even though he would have to wait for his payback, there was no harm enjoying the ride in the meantime.

Tooth huddled beneath the bus stop outside the mall, wings tucked up to stop them getting wet.  
>The rain was an unpleasant surprise for a creature so accustomed to warmer climes. Thanks to the huge backlog developing in the Tooth Palace, the usual air traffic controller fairies and weather spotter fairies had been reassigned to cataloguing duties. Otherwise she would've been well warned about the miserable rain that pooled around her dainty feet.<br>She shook her feathers, letting droplets fall to the ground, only to have them replaced anew within minutes.  
>Somewhere close by, a clock struck five.<br>Tooth sneezed.  
>'Bless you', came a voice from her right.<br>Mentally congratulating herself on resisting the instinct to jump, Tooth watched as Pitch slid from the shadows like a snake. His boots and robe were virtually indistinguishable from the puddles on the ground and they made no sound as he walked through the water.  
>He nodded in acknowledgement and joined her under the shelter.<br>Across the road, they could see the long line of people stretching out the front door and around the side of the large building. The mall had hung a huge banner up above the automatic doors to the place advertising Candy Heart's presence there that night. By the looks of some abandoned, sodden folding chairs near the doors, some patrons had decided to make the wait in line a social affair.

'So what is your grand plan anyway?' Pitch asked.

'I'm going to talk to her', Tooth said, 'Find out why she's doing this and get her to stop'.

'Of course!' Pitch sighed, 'It all sounds so simple! Save for the fact we're dealing with a manipulative, ego driven maniac'.

'Well, you know what they say: 'fight fire with fire'', Tooth shrugged.

She winked at Pitch's scowl and flew across the road, gesturing for him to follow.  
>Tooth darted behind a bay of bright flowers nestled within decorative rocks and gravel, halting beneath an awning close to the doors.<br>As expected nobody in the queue, not even the children, paid her any attention.  
>Cupid's hold on them was too strong for the crowd to notice anything but the fact they were about to meet her.<br>As Tooth noticed Pitch arrive beside her, she prepared to step onto one of the pressure plates that would open the doors.

'What do you think you're doing?' Pitch asked.

'Going into the mall?' Tooth said.

That sigh Pitch kept making was starting to bug her. The sigh that suggested 'I'm surrounded by idiots'.

'For someone who used to spend a lot of time sneaking into children's bedrooms, you've rather lost your touch', Pitch stated, 'I suppose that's what outsourcing does to you'.

'What do you mean?'

'I mean: we are here to technically infiltrate an enemy stronghold and you want to walk through the front door'.

Tooth grimaced. That had been the plan.  
>Cupid wasn't likely to try anything since she was visible in front of so many people. That said, would they even notice if she did? They were already hanging on her every word.<br>They were so far under her control they weren't likely to question her if she started attacking the empty air that Tooth and Pitch would be occupying.

'You know another way in?' Tooth conceded.

'There's always another way in', Pitch smirked, pointing to a nearby manhole.

Tooth wrinkled her nose. Pitch chuckled.

'Very restrained reaction. I'm impressed', Pitch commented, 'Don't worry. I don't fancy wringing out my robe'.  
>Tooth resisted the urge to throw one of the decorative rocks at Pitch's withdrawing back.<p>

A few seconds later, Pitch had located the service entrance to the mall. The security guard inside his cubicle was not a concern.  
>Pitch simply ducked beneath the barrier and Tooth hopped over it lightly as she followed.<br>The door for employees to enter the mall was controlled by a buzzer inside the cubicle reinforcing the security of the heavy door. Such precautions were no impediment to Pitch and the door could easily be unlocked manually from the other side.  
>Tooth watched as Pitch began to slip like oil beneath the crack of the door.<br>After a brief moment, she heard the door unlock from the other side and the door swung open.  
>Pitch waved a hand, inviting her in.<br>She hastened inside and Pitch closed the door behind her.  
>A corridor stretched ahead of them and a staircase led up to the right.<br>Tooth fluttered over to the railing, checking the directory sign posted to the wall.

'The record store's on the fifth floor', Tooth said, 'Let's go!'

'You don't have any fairy dust for weary pedestrians by any chance?' Pitch quipped, eyeing the amount of stairs with distaste.  
>Even in his shadow form this was going to be tiring. He wasn't out of shape, simply irritated at the obstacles that insisted on presenting themselves.<br>Why wasn't anything ever easy where the Guardians were concerned?!  
>To help them build character?!<p>

'Sorry sour puss', Tooth said, flying ahead, 'You need happy thoughts to make it work. See you up there!'

Pitch's muttered curses were lost as Tooth ascended the stairs effortlessly.  
>Jack was right: if you gave as good as you got, Pitch was just about manageable.<p> 


	5. Chapter 4

By the time Pitch reached the top of the stairs, Tooth had already done some reconnaissance. The stairs had led them to the doors leading to the stockrooms of the stores on that floor. The one leading to the back of the record store wasn't hard to find.  
>There were piles of boxes all labelled with Cupid's symbol beside it and 'emergency stock' written on labels in marker. CDs already signed in advance no doubt or surplus merchandise just in case the store ran out. From the size of the crowd Tooth had seen outside, she was pretty sure the store would need it.<br>Pitch came up beside her and tested the door handle. The door opened easily, already unlocked for the staff to reach the 'emergency stock'.  
>The darkened stockroom was deserted but past it, Pitch could just make out the bright interior of the store itself.<br>He slipped inside for a closer look, edging behind shelves packed full with CDs and vinyl records.  
>Tooth followed but stopped flying when Pitch glared at her.<p>

'That's exactly what we need on a stealth mission: a noise that sounds like a giant bluebottle', he whispered sarcastically, 'Not to mention an outfit more suited for Mardi Gras'.

'It's not like anyone out there can hear us! Besides it's not an outfit and you know it!' Tooth snapped.

'You might have painted your feathers black or something', he groused, peeking into the record store.

Tooth made a face at his back and was instantly relieved that Pitch hadn't seen it.  
>He always brought out the worst in people!<br>She was the Guardian of Memories, not a stroppy teenager!  
>She let the matter drop and joined Pitch at his surveillance point, taking up position on the other side of the door frame.<p>

The entire store was festooned with pink heart shaped balloons. Bowls of candy hearts perched on tables draped with white cloths with rose petals scattered decoratively amongst them. The store staff (even the bearded, tattooed manager) had donned pale pink t-shirts with Cupid's symbol on the back. A little bit ahead of their hiding place, there was a small stage set up with a microphone. Beside it was a table with a pile of CDs placed on it and a permanent marker ready for action. Even the spotlight had a pink filter. A couple of large red curtains had been hung up and were blocking the view beyond the store's main doors and display windows.

'I think I'm allergic to this amount of femininity', Pitch said, gritting his teeth, 'It's so…'

'Sweet', Tooth deadpanned.  
>The amount of candy on offer with 'free!' signs stuck in it was making her teeth ache sympathetically.<p>

Then all of a sudden, their target appeared.  
>Cupid had chosen to wear white for the occasion instead of the pink she usually wore, most likely to avoid blending in with the environment. Her hair was done up in curls with glittery streaks running through it. She was talking animatedly to a couple of security guards, laughing and patting one of their arms. The man's granite like face melted into a goofy grin as she winked at him. As she walked over to talk to the store manager, her unseen observers noticed her high heels had built in LED lights that flashed as she walked.<p>

'We have met the enemy', Pitch sneered, a look of utter disgust on his face, 'And she is adorable'.

'We're still not sure she is the enemy', Tooth reminded him.

'Anything or anyone that looks that harmless is not to be trusted. Look at Sandy'.

'Fair point. But we can't just go in and start wrecking the place. We have to get her side of the story. She was always so happy making other people smile. I find it hard to believe she's doing this out of spite'.

'Fine. What do you propose?'

'We wait 'til she's done then talk to her. She doesn't know we're here. Let's just see what she does okay?'

Pitch was about to respond but he was interrupted by Cupid's song starting up over the store's loudspeaker system. She was clapping delightedly as the manager showed her the system and demonstrated the lights for her stage.

Tooth turned to Pitch. He could hear the song but now it was the moment of truth to see if he would fall under the spell. When his scowling expression did not change, she took it as a good sign.

'What do you hear?' she asked.

Pitch knew better than to admit what he heard.  
>Guardians were too inquisitive by half.<br>To him, the song was a gentle female voice singing a child's lullaby. It was joined by a man's voice as he listened.  
>He tried and just barely succeeded in keeping his astonishment from showing.<br>How could the witch have known that song?! Even he only half remembered it!

'Nothing', he lied, 'Just white noise'.

Surprisingly, Tooth felt a stab of sympathy for Pitch.  
>Cupid's musical spell played on memories of what made its listeners happy.<br>Did Pitch really have no happy memories? No person he had ever cared about?  
>She had never sensed anything happy from his teeth. Then again their dark aura was so unpleasant she hadn't looked very closely. Even though they were no longer attached, Pitch's teeth still had the power to bite.<br>Tooth had been able to hear Jack and North's versions of the song but with at least ten people in the store listening, it would be impossible to pick out the tune Pitch was hearing. Especially since she was determinedly ignoring her own personal version of the song. Her auditory filter could only cope with so much.

'You really don't hear anything?' she asked.

'I don't know much about music', Pitch shrugged, 'Besides this proves your theory. I really am immune'.

'Good to know', Tooth said, 'Oh! Looks like it's showtime'.

At a click of the fingers from Cupid, the curtains were pulled back and the crowd waiting outside the store was revealed. It seemed to stretch the whole way through the mall.  
>The security guards began to creak open the front doors but the crowd surged forward, spilling into the store.<p>

'Oh goodie a riot', Pitch smirked, recognising the hints of desperation and greed that always accompanied humanity's worst instincts.  
>He had always enjoyed the melee of Black Fridays or January sales. So many lost children and fear that the shopper would not get what they needed. Such idiotic fears but so easy to feed on. Humans were always at their worst in a crowd. This was no different and Pitch was enjoying the frantic sensations. Until they were abruptly halted.<p>

'Hey!'

The entire crowd stopped squabbling and looked up at the stage.  
>Cupid's voice held a commanding tone that belied her delicate appearance. She was speaking into the microphone as she waggled her finger disapprovingly.<br>'Stop pushing! There's enough Candy for everyone but only if you're good!'

The entire crowd looked shamefaced. It was as if the group's collective consciousness was a naughty child, shuffling from one foot to another.

'Now what do we say?' she prompted patronisingly.

'Sorry Candy', came a staggering amount of voices in response. It seemed to echo around the mall. Tooth even saw the people outside the store (who hadn't pushed anybody!) mouth their apologies.

Pitch shook his head in disbelief as the security guards apologized as well for no reason! The sensations had totally vanished. Every single person was suddenly utterly calm and happy. This was what Tooth had warned him about. And he truly did hate it when she was right!

'Aww it's okay!' Cupid laughed, her voice like a tinkling bell, 'I know we're all excited. So whaddya say we all get in line, get some nice stuff and get along? Are ya with me?!'

The crowd whooped and cheered as they got into a strict single file queue. Cupid put the microphone back in its stand and turned away.

Pitch and Tooth got a good look at her face from their hidden position.

Cupid's blue eyes were narrowed and her grin filled her entire face.

'That's what I thought', she giggled darkly to herself.

Then the dark look was gone. She flicked her hair behind her shoulders and settled into the plush chair prepared for her.

'Now who's first?' she called and beamed at the little girl who ran up to her, poster in hand.

Pitch looked at Tooth and raised an eyebrow.

'Okay, maybe not so harmless', Tooth conceded, 'We'll wait 'til the people leave, then we put a stop to this'.

Pitch looked at the length of the queue and made a decision.  
>He focused, pursed his lips and whistled. Tooth tilted her head at the odd face he was making but felt a strange tingling down the back of her neck feathers.<br>No sound came out but the invisible frequency made every single speaker on the stage blow at once. The song was choked out by the hissing of static. Cupid's mouth became a thin line for the merest moment before resettling back into her smile. She simply laughed the technical failure off and continued signing.  
>As the staff hurriedly bustled about, trying to find the cause of the problem, Pitch settled himself down.<p>

'No reason we have to be miserable while we wait', he said, amused by Tooth's shocked expression.

'I didn't know you could do that', she said.

'Like I said, I don't know about music', Pitch smirked, 'but I do know how to spoil other people's fun'. 


	6. Chapter 5

The store clerks and a hassled looking engineer gave it their best for two hours before they were forced to give up. The speakers were working but every time someone approached the microphone, they immediately clicked off.  
>The engineer wasn't given to imaginative thought but the speakers were reminding him for some reason of his dog when fireworks were being let off. She always slunk under the bed: she wouldn't come out but would nervously poke her head out.<br>But that was stupid! Speakers couldn't get scared!

Pitch was sitting on the floor, eyes closed, bored of the repetitiveness. Despite the technical difficulties, the queue didn't seem any shorter than when it had started moving. It was always the same too.  
>A fan would approach Cupid, eyes wide in wonder, babble something about how the song had 'changed their lives' or 'inspired' them then nearly drop the CD in excitement when she handed it back to them.<br>He sensed Tooth kneeling down slowly beside him.

Tooth was reaching to lightly touch Pitch's arm when his eyes suddenly snapped open. She gave a small gasp in surprise and drew her arm back.

'I don't bite', Pitch said, obviously pleased with his little joke.

'I thought you were asleep!' Tooth snapped.

'I wish!' Pitch exclaimed, 'Any kind of break to this tedium would be welcome!'

'Well that's what I'm trying to tell you', Tooth said, pointing a thumb inside the store, 'It looks like break time out there'.

Pitch looked through the door crack.  
>The front doors to the store were being closed (with a great deal more ease than they had been opened) and Cupid was getting up from her chair. The manager walked over to her.<br>Tooth caught the conversation.  
>The break would last for twenty minutes. After which, hopefully the speakers would be working again. In the meantime, Candy could use his office to relax, her things had been brought up from her car, it was no trouble, no trouble at all honestly, great to have a star here etc. etc.<p>

'Okay, if I'm not out in fifteen minutes, come get me', Tooth said, easing the door open. She saw Candy enter the Manager's office.

'And destroy the threat I assume?' Pitch said, flicking some dust from his robe as he stood up.

'No!' Tooth said quickly, 'No destroying! We're just here to stop her'.

'Like you stopped me?' Pitch asked, one eyebrow arched.

'Well-' Tooth began, fingers twiddling as she searched for a tactful way to respond.  
>Pitch didn't give her the chance.<p>

'So the plan is to punch her twenty feet in the air then yank her back down with enough force to knock her unconscious?'

'It wasn't twenty feet', Tooth countered lamely.

Pitch's humourless sneer widened.

'Oh come on!' Tooth groaned at her lack of diplomatic savvy, 'Can you honestly say you didn't deserve that?'

'Can you honestly say you didn't enjoy it?'

'I think it's best if neither of us answer those questions', Tooth said.

'I agree', Pitch said, the threat of a genuine smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  
>So the fairy princess did have a little darkness in her under the rainbows and happy thoughts.<br>How amusing!

'I'll be back', Tooth said, beginning to edge around the doorframe.  
>When a passing store worker paid her no attention, she entered the room proper and headed for the Manager's office.<p>

'You hope', Pitch said and began to count to 100 Mississippi slowly.  
>He was the one designed for infiltration. Not much point being sneaky if like Tooth, you were dressed for Mardi Gras.<p>

The Manager's office was not locked.  
>Tooth could see Candy sitting in the office chair, idly spinning in a circle, smiling at the impromptu ride.<br>She gave the door a polite knock.  
>'Come in!' Candy called in a singsong voice.<br>Tooth entered and coughed politely.

Candy swivelled round to face her. Her eyes widened and her jaws dropped.  
>Tooth opened her mouth to give her prepared speech.<br>She was quite proud of it.  
>It extolled responsibility, calmly asked what was going on and how it was great that music had brought people together but that great power also entailed great responsibility.<br>It truly was a well crafted speech. It was just a shame Cupid never heard it.

'Toothy!' Cupid cried and swept Tooth up into a crushing hug that belied her small size, 'It's been forever! When did I last see you? No! Wait! Yeah, that's it! Woodstock right? That was one awesome ride! Flowers, homemade tea, mud puddles, free hugs! Think I may've kissed a guy while I was there. Kinda weird when you're invisible huh? Oh em ghee! You doing something new with your feathers? It's really great that your colour's all natural. Do birds use shampoo?'

All of this was delivered in about five seconds.  
>Cupid had always treated conversation like trench warfare: bombard the other person with machine gun fire until they simply have no choice other than to wait for a ceasefire.<br>Tooth knew she could get over excited and babble but even she felt exhausted when Cupid really got going.

She sighed and asked: 'Why are you doing this Cupid?' as she was released from the love spirit's grip.

'Please, call me Candy', Candy insisted, waving a hand, 'That stupid name always made people think I was a boy. It's too old fashioned. Totally fuddy duddy! Besides the only thing Greek I enjoy nowadays is yoghurt. Ooh! You want one?'

'No thanks', Tooth said, settling into a second chair.

Cupid shrugged and took a yoghurt from the mini fridge stamped with her name along with a box of animal crackers. She plonked herself down on the spinning office chair and dipped a cracker giraffe into the yoghurt.

'I always have one during a signing', she said, 'Can I get you something else? Fruit? Cupcake? Potato chip? No I know! Breath mint right?'

'No thanks'.

'Suit yourself', Cupid said biting the head off the drowned animal cracker, 'So how are you Tooth?'

'I'm fine', Tooth said, taking advantage of the lull in conversation, 'How are-'

'Great! Just great!' Cupid interrupted, 'Everyone loves the song! Have you heard it?'

'Couple of times'.

'Took me a while to get it right but I think it paid off don't you?'

'Why are you doing this?' Tooth asked again.

'Why do you care?' Candy retorted.

'Because you're hypnotising people and abusing your powers', Tooth said firmly.  
>That was enough carrot: now was the time to take the stick out.<p>

'You came here just so you could be a nark?!' Candy snapped, jumping out of the office chair, 'The Guardian police not like what I'm doing?!'

'The way you were going, you could've been chosen as a Guardian but now…'

'Yeah right! Maybe I got sick of always being a bridesmaid Tooth', Candy said incredulously, 'I mean I've been around longer than Jim Freeze or whatever his name is but he gets the gig and I don't?! How is that fair?!'

'It wasn't our decision', Tooth said evenly, 'It's your job to make people happy. Guardian or not'.

'They are happy! I know you were out there watching. Did you not see all those smiles?!'

'I'm the Tooth Fairy: I know what real smiles are supposed to look like'.

'Yeah yeah, I get it! You're the big important Tooth Fairy!' Candy said angrily, face scrunched like a child about to cry, 'You never understood. None of you did'.

'Cupid I-'

'My name is Candy!' Candy snapped.  
>She turned to the office window and started brushing her hair furiously, pink bristles tearing at her long locks.<p>

'I tried okay?!' Candy said 'I helped people fall in love for centuries and what good did it do?!'

The brush was thrown away and Candy began practically stabbing mascara onto her eyes.  
>Tooth said nothing. She knew a venting session when she saw one.<p>

'It'd be all wedding cake and strolls at sunset for a coupla weeks but then I'd come back to check on them and find them yelling at each other with kids crying in corners! Hating each other! Wrecking everything I made!'

She turned from the window and advanced on Tooth. The mascara wand may as well have been a knife.

'I have had enough of people yelling!' Candy screeched.

Tooth flinched at the volume and Candy gave a twitch. She giggled girlishly and carelessly threw the mascara wand away. She flicked her blonde hair behind her shoulder, metaphorical mask firmly back in place.

'So now, I make sure everyone plays nice', she said, clasping her hands delightedly.

'By your rules', Tooth countered.

Candy yawned dramatically.

'Getting bored now Tooth. Wouldn't have let you come in here if I thought you were gonna be a hater. You're not though. Are you?'

Suddenly her demeanour changed again. Eyes narrowed, she snapped her fingers.  
>A silver engraved longbow materialized in her hand. Tooth knew it well. Cupid never went anywhere without her bow. She conjured the magical arrows herself: one scratch and (depending on Cupid's mood) the victim would be madly in love or filled with virulent hatred for the next person they saw.<p>

'You can get with the programme', Candy said coldly, 'Or go back to fairyland and get the hell out of my way. Your choice'.

'Your powers don't work on me', Tooth said.  
>She stood up slowly. Cupid tracked her movement with her bow.<br>Tooth kept her eyes on Cupid but couldn't shake a nagging feeling that they were both being watched.  
>Was that a shadow moving above Cupid's head?<p>

'No they don't', Candy conceded with a nasty smile, 'But they work on humans. How many kids are still waiting to meet me? Couple of hundred? You feel like losing that many believers? Think you can deal with so many kids hating you?!'

Pitch cleared his throat politely. Candy swung around at the noise.

'Can't say it's ever bothered me', he quipped, tapping the microphone on the desk. Tooth braced herself. The microphone was connected to the PA system for the entire mall.

She just managed to jam her fingers in her ears as Pitch took a deep breath and shrieked.  
>The on stage microphone screeched with static, the already abused speakers gave piercing whines and light bulbs exploded like fireworks. The PA system blared with the hellish noise and echoed throughout the empty mall.<p>

The crowd waiting outside was thrown into chaos. The trio in the office could feel as much as hear the noise of running feet.  
>Cupid's spell was temporarily overpowered by the knee jerk human reaction to flee from any loud noises. Pitch's shriek had subconsciously reminded every spectator of the sound of a predator, the first fear in humanity's ancient shared past.<br>There was a mad rush for the doors. The security men and store clerks joined the stampede deciding that no job was worth being eaten by whatever thing had made the noise.

As Candy was forced to her knees, covering her aching ears, Pitch grabbed Tooth and jumped into the shadows.

For Tooth, who had never travelled by shadow before, the feeling was strange. The shadows were soft: like a warm blanket, clinging but not sticky. Pitch was moving her bodily but she wasn't sure how. She could see his face floating above her, the rest of his darkly clothed body indistinguishable from their magical surroundings.  
>Doors were no obstacle. Pitch passed through them as if they weren't there.<br>The blurry shapes of the fleeing crowd appeared to be moving in slow motion and the shadow travellers did not make contact with a single person, Pitch easily steering them out of the path of any collision that presented itself. Seeing how Pitch travelled certainly helped explain how he seemed to jump from place to place so quickly.  
>She was surprised to see the shadowy bubble dissipate and the car park materialize around them. A light rain was falling. She could still hear panicked noises coming from around the corner and the tell-tale sound of sirens in the distance.<p>

'How did we get out here?' she asked.

'Used the shadows between the cracks in the brickwork', Pitch said matter-of-factly.

'Oh', Tooth said, both in confirmation of what he had said and with increasing realization at the fact he hadn't put her down yet. He was carrying her bridal style and, though she knew she wasn't heavy, she was surprised how strong the boogeyman's arms felt beneath her despite him looking so skinny and wasted.

'Um', she continued, mentally cursing her sudden lack of meaningful syllables.  
>Pitch got the message though and put her down abruptly. He took a couple of steps away from her as if to signal an approved distance between them.<p>

'You've got quite a set of pipes', Tooth commented to dispel the awkward silence and shaking her head to dispel the ringing in her ears.

'You should hear me when I practice', Pitch said, 'We tried it your way, now it's my turn'.

And like that, he was gone.  
>Tooth watched the liquid like shadow creep up the wall towards the lit window of the Manager's office.<p>

'Remember: no destroying!' she yelled after him and looked for a place to wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Pitch slipped back into the darkened record store through the open front doors. He could hear the commotion from outside the mall echoing through the empty, evacuated building.  
>He permitted himself a smile at the remains of the commotion he had caused inside.<br>Streamers lay trampled on the floor along with abandoned, cracked CD cases. Balloons had escaped their moorings and fled into the recesses of the ceiling. Some lightbulbs seemed to have withstood the vocal assault and the remains of those that hadn't sympathetically reflected the lights of their former fellows.  
>The only person left inside was Candy, ranting to herself in the gloom.<br>Sitting cross legged on her stage beneath some intact lights the would-be idol seemed content to sit on the stage erected for her and have a private breakdown in peace. The light above her cast a comedic spotlight on the sorry scene: as if she was performing some form of tragic monologue rather than feeling sorry for herself in a wrecked establishment.

'They always spoil everything!' she cried, slamming her fists on the wooden surface, 'Stupid Guardians!'

She jammed a fistful of animal crackers into her mouth and chewed savagely, cherub cheeks working like an infernal machine. She swallowed and gulped down a dose of strawberry milk. It was so pink in colour Pitch assumed a real strawberry would've been insulted to have been associated with it.  
>Regardless it seemed to have a calming effect on Candy. She wiped her mouth delicately with a silky handkerchief and stood up.<p>

'But you know what?' she announced to the empty room, dusting her dress down, 'I'm not gonna let it get me down. No sir!'

Pitch grimaced as he crept closer. What was coming next? A song?  
>This was what Tooth was worried about? An overgrown Shirley Temple?!<br>Pitch's plan was simple. Whereas Tooth had talked to understand, he talked to scare. He would reduce Cupid or Candy or whatever she chose to call herself to a quivering wreck.

'I'm a big girl. I'll just work harder, keep smiling and crush them where they stand', Candy beamed giving a twirl.

'Your optimism is refreshing', Pitch stated.

Candy jumped from fright and swivelled dramatically, hands cupped to her mouth. Pitch stayed carefully out of the circle of light. No reason to make it fair on her.

'You're him aren't you?' Candy stammered, eyes widening, 'The big bad boogeyman'.

'I'm certainly not Santa Claus', Pitch said, 'Do you enjoy one sided conversations? I suppose it's the only way you get answers you like'.

'That was just a little pep talk!' Candy said, a little louder, 'Nothing wrong with that! After you wrecked my signing!'

'I'd apologize but you know how it is: not being sorry and all that', Pitch shrugged and was gratified to see Candy bristle.

'Why are you helping Tooth?' Candy asked, trying to peer into the darkness beyond her spotlight to pick him out, 'You into older women?'

'A combination of boredom and self-interest', Pitch said, moving slowly behind her. For some reason the 'older women' statement had rankled him.

As Candy strained to pick him out from the darkness, his voice whispered into her ear.

'Probably the same reasons you're doing what you're doing'.

Candy jumped again.

Pitch could see her hands shaking and smiled. This wouldn't take long at all. He wouldn't destroy her but he would make sure Candy's ego would be kept firmly in check from this point onwards. Only he was permitted to make fools of the Guardians.

'I'm helping people', Candy said stubbornly.

'You don't really think that', Pitch said, stepping around her.

Candy wheeled around at the sound of his voice and surprised Pitch by stepping in front of him. Though she only came up to his chest, he took a step back at the sudden rush of movement. It was enough to let her know where he was.

'Shut up!' Candy jammed her fists over her ears, eyes bright as she stared up at him, 'I know what you do. Sneaky sneaky! You crawl inside people's heads and mess everything up'.

'Sound familiar?'

'You tell me!' she declared.

She suddenly grabbed his face with her delicate fingers. Pitch was startled but scoffed when he realised she was singing to him. Placing a long finger on her lips, Pitch tilted his head mockingly as she stopped.

'Pretty. But it doesn't work on the heartless'.

He caught a glimpse of thwarted anger from Candy before it was buried beneath the usual truckload of sweetness and light.

'But surely there's something you want?' Candy asked, fluttering her long eyelashes at him.

'Nothing from you', Pitch deadpanned.  
>She wasn't as intimidated as he thought she had been, he had to give her that. It made sense after all for Cupid to be a good liar. How many relationships started based on half-truths and faint inklings that people may be compatible?<p>

'Why's that?' Candy asked.

'Because you're a liar who can't even be honest about why she lies'.

'Now you've hurt my feelings', Candy gave an impressive pout complete with tears gathering in her eyes, 'You're a big meanie!'

'Spare me', Pitch snarled.

Candy sniffed and wiped her eyes. Just like that the 'cute little girl' act was gone. She stood straighter, eyes focused and fixed her hair so it was out of her face. She cleared her throat and her voice was more measured. Older.

'Fair enough', she said, 'I'm a businesswoman Mr Black. I know an opportunity when I see one'.

She sat up on the stage, one leg over the other, fingers steepled professionally. Pitch rolled his eyes but tolerated the persona change. This ought to be good.

'I truly admire you-no please don't scoff like that I'm serious- because it doesn't matter to you who you scare: rich, poor, young or old and you're not ashamed of what you are. All the Guardians care about is bribing good kids and ignoring ones that misbehave'.

Candy stood up and began to walk towards him, entreating him with an outstretched hand. Pitch remained impassive. It was a good performance and might have worked: if he hadn't used the same trick himself a hundred times.

'Tell me Mr Black, what's a 'good' kid? If a kid talks back to their mother because they're had a bad day, does that make them naughty? Who has the right to decide that?!'

'North does', Pitch said bluntly, 'He has very detailed lists'.

The similarity between their styles of manipulation was starting to grate on him. Was he this annoyingly grandstanding when he talked to people?!

'Ha ha no', Candy said, holding up a negative finger, 'It's like a driving license: it's a privilege, not a right. My point is, you and I are the only ones who treat everyone fairly. Everyone gets scared. Everyone wants to be loved. Why are we treated as outsiders because we don't believe in 'good' and 'bad' people? They're all just people right?'

'Yes, they are all idiotic, self-destructive people', Pitch said, feigning a puzzled expression, 'Let me guess: you think we should protect them. Not the Guardians'.

'Exactly! How would you like to be believed in? Picture it!'

Candy was beside him now, holding up two fingers in a square shape.

'Thousands of people hanging on our every word! I could make them adore you so much that no matter how scared they were, they would always come crawling back'.

'How does that benefit me when I love to see them run?' Pitch smirked, allowing his eyes to glow for effect.  
>Candy seemed unfazed and winked at him.<p>

'Trust me darling, there's nothing better than a captive audience. Speaking of which…'

She clicked her fingers and after a moment, a figure emerged from an adjacent room. He flicked the lights on as he entered. Pitch was temporarily dazed but recognised the newcomer's aura easily enough. Jack Frost was eyeing him with a distinctly blank eyed expression as he walked towards them.  
>Candy skipped over to him and tickled his chin. Jack didn't seem to notice she was there.<p>

'Have you met my new bodyguard? Saw him hanging around with some kids outside and thought I'd introduce myself', she said gleefully.

Pitch did not like the idea of fighting Jack Frost. Especially not outnumbered in a well-lit open room. It was time to step things up. Stopping Candy would stop Jack. It was time to stop playing.

'Charmed. Literally I see', Pitch said, 'Where are the other Guardians?'

He began to focus his power but slowly enough that Candy wouldn't pick up on what he was doing. He didn't have enough power in him for another shriek but he could render Candy unconscious and bring her to his lair if he was quick enough. A couple of hours in the iron cages would teach her a valuable lesson.

'Well, North is in the middle of making the props for Friday's show, Bunny's doing the catering and Sandy's just dropping a little reminder into all the heads of the sleeping folks at home to tune in', Candy laughed, ticking off her fingers.

'And I suppose thanks to your magic nobody notices a six foot rabbit?' Pitch asked.

'Even if they did, the fairytale theme I got going keeps me covered', she shrugged.

'Clever', Pitch conceded sourly.

'So sweet of you to say. So what's it gonna be boogeyman? Wanna join the winning team?'

Pitch pretended to consider the offer, moving into position. With the lights on, the shadows had been diminished but there was still a lovely long patch of darkness being cast by the stage itself.

'I don't like the spotlight; much less sharing it. And I refuse to be part of any band that includes Vanilla Ice here', he said, gesturing to Jack Frost.  
>His foot touched the shadow as Candy looked crestfallen.<p>

'That's okay', she said sadly, 'I understand. Well if you're not with me then-'

She trailed off and Pitch pounced.

'I'm against you!' he declared and willed himself into the floor.  
>His body became ghostlike and sinuous, circling around Candy before emerging once again like a surfacing sea predator. He became solid again behind her and grabbed for her, preparing to make a quick exit.<p>

And found that his feet were frozen to the floor.

Jack glared at Pitch, his face illuminated by the blue glow of his magic. The tip of his staff was touching the pool of shadow and locking the boogeyman solidly in place.  
>Feeling the cold creeping up his legs and frosting over his fingers, Pitch cursed at Jack and tried to grab Candy. As she moved back, he realised she was hovering off the floor.<br>A pair of ghostly silver wings shimmered at her back as she lightly drifted away from his grasping fingers.

'Nice try', she smirked, 'Jack told me all about that little trick of yours. Give me some credit'.

As Pitch thrashed, wrenching his ankles painfully as he tried to free himself, Candy summoned her bow. She gently adjusted the string as she coolly regarded her new prisoner.

'Despite how rude you've been, I do think we have a lot in common Mr Black. Ambition, a dislike of people telling us what to do, disdain for the Tsars of fashion-'

'Passion for long winded speeches that go nowhere?' Pitch snarled.

Candy blinked and paid no further attention to the remark.

'I can't hypnotise you but I can make sure you no longer get in my way. You see, Sandy and I had a little chat about you'.

'I find that hard to believe', Pitch laughed humourlessly, 'It's more likely to have been a game of Pictionary'.

'You and he have quite the history don't you?' she asked, hovering irritatingly out of reach.

Pitch gritted his teeth in anger as he stomped the memories down as unbidden, they began to surface. Bad memories were an ill-timed distraction he could not afford.

'Ancient history', Pitch stressed.

'Well I heard that you used to care about somebody very much. A very special girl wasn't she?'

'Key words: 'wasn't she'. Past tense', Pitch snarled, his teeth aching from the pressure of his jaws.

He had no idea what Candy was doing.  
>He knew who she was talking about. How could he not?!<br>Was it purely psychological damage she was after? If so, why choose to mention someone who meant nothing to him? Less than nothing!  
>He wasn't that person. He didn't even remember him!<br>What did he care about a woman that someone else had loved?!  
>And that damn song was back in his head!<br>That infernal lullaby that wormed its way between his ears! The same one he often woke to in the dark of night with unexplained tears on his cheeks.

'Doesn't keep you from wishing they were still here', Candy said, all too aware of the conflicting feelings running through Pitch, 'Wishing that things had been different'.

'I am incapable of love', Pitch tried to calm his breathing, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.  
>Was this feeling some kind of buried emotional turmoil? Or a side effect of Candy's powers?<br>Either way, he could feel himself losing control. The thought enraged and confused him.

'That's so very sad. Tell me', Candy continued, 'do you know what happens when dreamsand and my magic are mixed together?'

'A big mess?' Pitch snapped. He thought he could feel his fingers moving slightly. He homed in on the sensation, willing his powers to move as he desired.

'I can make dreams come true', Candy said majestically.

'Nobody can do that', Pitch said savagely.

'You once told her different', Candy taunted, 'All she had to do was 'believe' and she could achieve anything. Ha! Looks like I'm not the only liar in the room. Too bad, so sad'.

That was it. Pitch snapped.  
>Growling, he threw a shadowy spear at Candy's head. She ducked in the nick of time: only a couple of golden hairs paid the price for enraging the boogeyman. Jack tightened his grip and Pitch's teeth chattered from the intense cold infecting his body.<p>

'It doesn't matter what I told her!' he yelled, 'She is gone and she is never coming back!'

'No she's not. But I'm curious about you'.

An arrow was pulled back in the bow. Pitch could see it was not like the other arrows Candy normally used. This one was a glass shaft with golden runes shining on the surface. The tip was cold looking iron dusted with fine granules of dream sand. Pitch could smell the magic from it and it made his spine tingle.  
>It was light magic. Pure anathema to him.<br>He had been on the unpleasant receiving end of Dreamsand before. It had hurt but like fear, pain was manageable if you understood how it worked.  
>Pitch didn't know what this magic would do to him but from Candy's sadistic looking smile, it wouldn't be pleasant.<p>

'When we peel away all that icky darkness, what's left?' she asked him, her fingers steady on the bowstring, 'Is there someone we can bring back?'

Pitch lashed out but she was already gone.  
>Too late, he realised she was behind him.<br>Then he felt the sickening lurch between his shoulders as she shot him in the back.

'How does it feel when someone sneaks up on you boogeyman?' Candy laughed.

Pitch screamed. He couldn't help it.  
>The pain was one thing: a creeping cold that somehow burned in the core of him. He writhed as he tried to yank the arrow out. It grated against his bones: a malign, alien tumour that felt alive and kicking in his flesh.<br>The second sensation was worse and getting worse.  
>It felt like a spreading weakness: a steady trickling of malignant magic seeping into his core. It felt warm like a fever and he could feel sweat beading on his brow. His hands shook as he sank to his knees. He vomited black liquid onto the floor as he groped for a solid surface in a vain attempt to rise.<br>It felt as if he was being sucked from his own body.  
>His thoughts grew heavy and dull and when Candy spoke, it seemed to be from an immense height.<p>

'Jack told me what you did at Halloween. There's a good person in you just begging to be let out'.

Pitch's eyes widened.  
>She couldn't! That man was dead: eaten alive by shadows until nothing was left except for his face as a convenient costume!<p>

'No…don't', Pitch whispered weakly, trying desperately to see clearly even as he sank lower to the floor.

'Let's see what he looks like', Candy laughed as she saw Pitch collapse into a heap.  
>She checked his breathing had normalised then brushed some hair from his face.<p>

'Hello', she purred, admiring the view, 'Now that's what I call a perfect Pitch'.

She clicked her fingers and Jack finally let Pitch go, the ice around him dissolving into warm vapour. Candy tossed the crouching figure a hand mirror. It gained a long crack down the middle of the surface as it hit the floor.  
>The groggy Pitch didn't even notice Candy cackle wildly at her own joke.<br>He was too busy staring at his reflection in the damaged mirror.  
>His skin was now a pale though not unhealthy white. His eyes had become hazel though if he focused, he could still see golden flecks trying desperately to shine through. Even his facial structure had changed: his angular cheekbones still present but softer. Thanks to his mouth being agape, he could see that his teeth had lost their sharp edges and were a pearly white.<br>He jumped up in a panic and his head swam.  
>It didn't make any sense! He barely recognised himself even though he knew he was looking at his own reflection!<br>As he staggered slightly, he made another discovery. His heart hammering, he realised his shadow was mimicking his movements perfectly. Human shadows did that: not his! It was no longer a portal or a source of power. Just an insubstantial yet wholly natural phenomenon.  
>The shadow of Kozmotis Pitchiner.<br>He numbly realised the arrow was still buried in his back. It pulsed at his attention and looking over his shoulder, he could see the shaft was now stained black from what it had absorbed.  
>Pitch felt sick.<p>

'What did you do?!' he gasped, 'I'm-'

Candy placed a commanding finger over his mouth.

'So out of here', she smirked and viciously yanked the arrow out.

Pitch cried out in pain as he felt his powers truly ripped from his body. Alone, helpless and, despite himself, afraid, he tried to grab for the arrow.  
>Candy tittered and held it tauntingly out of reach of the unsteady Pitch.<p>

'Jack, show him the door', Candy commanded dismissively.

'With pleasure', Jack said.

The irony twinned with the rising bile in Pitch's mouth.  
>It was Antarctica in reverse.<br>Jack was advancing on him now. The staff glowed with ethereal shards of ice, blue and lethal.  
>Pitch backed away but realised there was nowhere to go.<br>He had backed right into the large window facing onto the car park. Five storeys down.  
>Pitch tried desperately to phase away into the shadows and safety.<br>Jack was raising his staff, eyes unfocused.  
>Pitch was reaching for powers that simply weren't there anymore.<br>Eyes narrowing, he resigned himself to the potentially fatal chain of events about to unfold.

'You're a bloody hypocrite Jack Frost', Pitch spat as Jack unleashed his power and the window exploded.


End file.
